Zoom on a bugdet. Torn between Oly 40-150 and Pan 45-150 (f4.0/5.6 both)

I am looking for an inexpensive zoom for either my GX7 and GF5.
Oly seems a bit cheaper, but I am not sure (I am new to the M43 world). Should I prefer the panny? Am I going to miss some functionality/features of the Oly when mounted on a Panny body?

You don't get stabilization if you use the Olympus 40-150 lens on a Pan body. I shoot with Olympus bodies and I so much prefer the Pan 45-150. It's built better, has a metal mount, OIS and takes standard 52mm filters (the Oly takes 58mm). It's one of the best kit telephoto zooms for any system. It's just sharp end-to-end. The only lens that's a bit better is the Panasonic 45-175 X, but that lens cost more and optically they're about equal.

The only issue is the Panasonic lens won't initiate OIS on older Olympus bodies, but since you shoot with the GX7/GF5 that's no problem. :smile:

Having owned both Panasonic and Olympus cameras and lenses, my advice to the OP would be to go with Panasonic lenses if you have Panasonic camera bodies. Of course, you can use Oly lenses on your Panny cameras. But my experience has been, when really pushing things, Panny lenses work just a bit better on Panny bodies and Oly lenses work just a bit better on Oly bodies. Stabilization is only part of it.

Panny 120-150€ 2nd hand (mint), around 200 to 250€ new. (add about 25% to change to USD)
Oly 180€ new, not found used yet.

Given your inputs I am leaning to the Panny...

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If you can find a 45-175 PZ at a good price, that's the lens to get. Slightly better IQ than the 45-150, extra 25mm of reach, Power OIS instead of Mega OIS, nano-coated lens elements, and its a fixed length throughout the zoom range.

I have both p45-150 & o40-150 and they are both a real bargain especially if you buy used. The Oly is slightly lighter and starts at 40, but it is also physically longer especially extended, even though none of them can be considered big. The panny has a metal socket, stabilization and is generally better built. I think the panny is the clear winner especially since your g5 does not offer ibis.

If you can find a 45-175 PZ at a good price, that's the lens to get. Slightly better IQ than the 45-150, extra 25mm of reach, Power OIS instead of Mega OIS, nano-coated lens elements, and its a fixed length throughout the zoom range.

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I also agree the 45-175 is a better lens, but it cost a bit more. You can find good copies of the 45-150 in the US for around $160 USD. I think current used prices of the 45-175 still hover above the $250 mark.

IMHO, given that your Panny bodies don't have built-in stabilization, a Panny lens, especially for telephoto, seems like a slam dunk. I think you'll need OIS if you're shooting handheld with it. I have an Olympus body and the Oly 40-150. It was only $99 more when I purchased it with a body and kit lens. Could not pass that up. I think it's quite sharp and handy, but the zoom ring is stiff. I bought a Panny 45-200 used off the bay, and it's OK, but I think the Oly 40-150 is sharper, especially wide open. Since I have an Oly body, stabilization in the lens is not a factor and I can go either way. The Panny 45-200 is considerably larger and heavier than the Oly 40-150, but the extra reach is much appreciated when I'm shooting my kid's soccer games. The zoom ring is also smoother and easier to turn, but it's prone to zoom creep. That can be quite annoying when you're pointing it up at the sky to shoot a photo of the moon and having to hold it in position on the tripod. The Oly doesn't have that issue. The Oly lens is so compact and light that not having a metal lens mount isn't a big deal. For travel, the Oly is preferred because of its smaller size and weight.

I also agree the 45-175 is a better lens, but it cost a bit more. You can find good copies of the 45-150 in the US for around $160 USD. I think current used prices of the 45-175 still hover above the $250 mark.

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Jon,

Yeah, the 45-175 is a bit more expensive, typically $50-75. I waited until I found one for $225, and snatched it up. For me, it was worth the extra money for a couple reasons:
- 46mm filter threads meant I could use the filters and macro adapter I already had for my primes lenses (the 45-150 has 52mm filter threads, which isn't very common among newer m43 lenses).
- 175mm or reach vs. 150mm was important, because I was really looking for something to give me a bit more reach than what I have with my 35-100 f/2.8 (I had the 100-300, but didn't use it that much because I rarely needed that much reach, and it's a heavy lens to carry around for occasional use, not the case with the 45-175 PZ
- A number of small "benefits" (fixed length during zooming, nicer build quality than the 45-150, better OIS for stills, best IQ of the consumer zooms).

If one can spend the extra money, the 45-175 is a no-brainer over the 45-150. But if you're looking for something for a cheap as possible that still does "OK", then the 45-150 fits the bill. It's just not what I was looking for.

IMO, no real question, on your Panasonic bodies you want a telephoto lens with stabilization built in. This means getting the Panasonic lens.

I don't know which lens has better image quality, but at 150mm stabilization of some sort is a must. The GX7 has IBIS, but it's active only during the exposure. While framing the shot, you won't get a stabilized view without OIS in the lens, and at 150mm that can be challenging.

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